


recognition

by 23notecanon (reincarnivore)



Series: you broke time [6]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:26:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27563761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reincarnivore/pseuds/23notecanon
Summary: the guardian awakes ansem from a nap, which is strange, because it isn't supposed to think for itself
Relationships: Ansem Seeker of Darkness | Xehanort's Heartless & Terra, Ansem Seeker of Darkness | Xehanort's Heartless & Xemnas
Series: you broke time [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529372
Kudos: 19





	recognition

**Author's Note:**

> occurs during KH3, of course. just a little tidbit in my xemnas/ansem series, no plot significance, just fun characterization practice.

Ansem is sitting with outstretched legs crossed on a couch in a disused spare room, peering over his head while his Guardian lingers unalike its usual self, snarling above him. Though often at his beck and call, the heartless bound to him often appears to ‘guard’ him, as the name Ansem had given it implies, now of its own volition it had appeared while Ansem lay napping by his lonesome. Some five minutes had passed since the initial and very aggressive appearance, but since he remains unperforated by those massive hands and biting teeth, Ansem raises a cautious hand to itch a finger beneath its heavyset jaw.

“Well, if you wanted to kill me while I slept, you have failed,” Ansem purrs up at its looming, unafraid despite its currently unobedient existence. It rumbles in response to that, snapping just inches away from his nose, but Ansem does not balk. Instead, he continues rubbing either side of its jaw, until it settles into reserved quietness. Ansem thinks to the void, ‘come see something strange’, and after a few moments, his disparted body appears.

“This is hardly strange- unless you mean the heavy petting you are offering that tool you have bound to yourself,” Xemnas hums, circling around the couch until he nearly touches Ansem’s outstretched boots- but is caught off guard when the Guardian flings itself across the way to bite at him too.

Initially, Xemnas _ does _ flinch, but Ansem barks, “Do not move,” and despite his instincts, Xemnas stays rooted at his feet. Like it had been doing to Ansem earlier, it stops just short of Xemnas’ nose and squinting eyes, but doesn’t do much but snarl and gnash at the open air, hands flexing at its sides. Quietly, but loud enough to be heard over the Guardian’s rumblings, “Please elaborate?”

“I am not asking it anything. I was asleep, and it came to snarl at me. A very rude wake up call, if you ask me.” Lowering itself slightly, is bares its hands into Ansem’s thighs, its legless body blocking his way enough that Ansem is forced to lean his head to see his other.

Xemnas purses his lips to that, golden eyes flicking down to meet with the equal of his heart’s. “A heartless does often act of its own volition, eventually. Does your darkness wane to control this powerful creature?”

“Oh, I hope not. I do enjoy it so. But, alas, if it is deciding it might kill me, a shame but I would rid myself of it.”

“You very much owe your fighting style to its presence, so I wonder what you will do to make up the difference.” With a tilted head, Xemnas gives the creature a very dry look, but tries to discern what exactly it wants. A heart, maybe, as both of them have become burdened with such a thing, but maybe not.

“Die, maybe,” Ansem mumbles, and with a wave of his hand, sees if the Guardian will respond at all. Darkness flows through him and his outstretched fingers aptly still, but the Guardian hesitates, taking its time to turn its head a few times between the both of them before slowly recoiling to its spot behind him. Its hands wander over Ansem’s chest as it backtracks, and stays there with palms pressed to the muscle of his chest. “See now, beast, let your heart fester in darkness-” but apparently it hates that notion, and screals a sharp, discordant note. It’s hard not to flinch to that, as Ansem hikes up a leg uncomfortably, and again raises a hand to pat pat the Guardian’s cheek. “Quiet, you!”

“It resists the darkness,” Xemnas muses, head tilting barely to the side. “I wonder if that heart is somewhat worthy of tearing itself apart from that darkness you taunt it with.”

“I agree with that theory,” Ansem struggles to contain the thing behind him, as it paws at him in anxious aggravation.

“Do you… need help?” Xemnas face constricts like he’s attempting to laugh, or stop himself from laughing, but since the Guardian is simply manhandling him about the couch with no real attempts to harm, he makes no effort to stop the situation from occurring.

“I mean, more than usual? Probably not,” and Ansem does laugh, a pained chuckle that is muffled by his struggle. In one swift motion, however, he props up on a boot and the couch, hefting up his weight until he can wrap one arm around the thick of its neck. Tugging downwards, he uses his strength and darkness to physically overpower the wild thing back down, and with a twist, he has it straddled under his arm and a leg, pulling and pressing its back down into the couch. It might hate this more, but it’s so startled by the turn of events, it lays there with barely flexing arms, peering up at its Master, and occasionally, to its Master’s body to the side. Its size spills over the side of the couch, but its weight keeps it rooted where Ansem lays it.

“You have confused the poor thing,” Xemnas hums, taking a step forward to snag one of its flexing hands and toying around with the digits attached. Again, it only lends to the confusion, and with that, its thrashing completely abates.

“It has confused me! Why am I wrestling my own guardian,” he laughs through his words, eyebrows knit in confusion. He holds it there as it decides it needs to be held, as it doesn’t seem interested in simply dissolving into darkness and storage, but neither does Ansem banish it away for its behavior.

Instead, they both get the surprise of it opening its mouth to speak. Or, attempt to speak, as the voice that trills through the usual heartless garbling is nothing to make sense of, but they can discern its masculinity at least. “Ahh- sss-, fr--e, k-k, da--n, esss…”

After its fragmented sentence, they linger in a long, reflective silence, before Xemnas speaks quietly. “It almost said ‘darkness’, I think.”

“And ‘free’,” Ansem adds. “Poor thing,” lifting his weight from it, he sighs heavily, slowly allowing it to move, but it does not. It lays there, prone where it was placed beneath him on the couch, and creaks the most pitiful noise. “Well, don’t be so sad about losing a fight you started,” Ansem replies to that depressing tone, sitting back down on its chest. Beneath the crux of his ass is that hole in its chest, and he peers down between his legs to make sure there’s no burgeoning heart between it. 

“Could we suppose, with age, much like yourself, could any heartless hope to _ think _ ?”

“I am unsure if it is age, or simply strength of will. I have heard in my listenings of an ancient sort of ‘heartless’, born of disparted keyblade wielders. They could speak, I have heard, but you think if it was one of these sorts, it would have done it much earlier.” Gently, Ansem reaches down to pet over its cheek again. “Speak for me again, Guardian. I would like to know why now, you’re so upset.”

“I doubt there is much you can do for it, even if you did know.”

“Well, then allow me a curiosity? It isn’t as if we have much else to do but pursue these little curiosities.”

It doesn’t seem to comprehend what Ansem is asking it, and simply looks between the two of them while Ansem stays perched on its chest. It is, however, no longer snarling and fussing at him, so he supposes to accept one success to manhandling the heartless, but now it’s whining like a lonely puppy. Opening its mouth again, it feigns speech by clicking its teeth together behind the strapping of its mouth.

“... Well, not quite, but I can appreciate the effort. Alas, a sentient heartless is incredibly interesting, but we do really lack the time to explore such an event,” Ansem laments, eyes lidding as his jaw rests on an open palm.

“You just said what time we did have to explore curiosities.”

“Well, with words, but not with actions. I have nowhere to put and dissect it for its secrets.”

“I would repeat myself to remind how detrimental in battle you would become without its assistance, as well.”

“I am not useless in battle alone!” He sneers over at his other, but still with a mote of amusement on his lips.

“I would not know,” Xemnas retorts, casually stepping towards the edge of the couch where the creature's head lays against the arm cushion. “I have never seen you apart.” Its neck cranes to peer up at Xemnas, another sad tone creaking from its unearthly throat, but he does not recognize himself.

**Author's Note:**

> i know it's actually the 'dark figure', i just think that was a stupid decision.


End file.
